Armed DNR Agents Remove Fawn From Shelter In Wisconsin, Euthanize It
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is defending the actions of armed agents who took a fawn from a shelter to euthanize it.
Last week an Illinois family brought the fawn to the Society of St. Francis animal shelter because they believed its mother had abandoned it.
The fawn was nicknamed Giggles by the workers at the shelter who were angry at the actions taken by the DNR. The incident, was first reported by Milwaukee’s WISN-TV.
The family had brought the fawn to the no-kill shelter in an effort to protect it from other wildlife not thinking that it would be euthanized because that is the law.
Wisconsin state’s captive deer law says that no animal is supposed to be taken or transported from its home in the wild. This is established to avoid the spread of chronic wasting disease (CWD), which is deadly.
CWD is a nervous system disease that infects white-tailed deer, mule deer, moose, and elk and it is present in 17 states, including Wisconsin.
Now the Wisconsin’s DNR is being forced to explain the armed agents action in removing the fawn from the shelter, which appears to be a cruel decision.
Cathy Stepp, secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources said in a statement that last week agents had the difficult mission to remove a fawn which was illegally taken from the wild.
She added that this was not an easy job, but the agents were just following the law, adding that none of the staff takes joy in performing these duties.
Employees at the shelter stated that nine agents and four sheriff officers allegedly armed to the teeth, came into the facility and tranquilized the fawn after receiving reports of its presence.
According to Stepp the DNR had requested voluntary cooperation from the shelter and when that didn’t occur they came to take action.
The shelter president Cindy Schultz plans legal action and questioned the cost of the operation to taxpayers, stating that they went over the top for a tiny baby deer.
What do you think of the actions taken by DNR armed agents to remove the fawn Giggles from the shelter?
[Image via Shutterstock]
